Use of mometasone furoate for treating airway passage and lung diseases

ABSTRACT

The administration of aerosolize particles of mometasone furoate in the form of dry powders, solutions, or aqueous suspension for treating corticosteroid-responsive diseases of the surfaces of upper and/or lower airway passages and/or lungs, e.g., allergic rhinitis and asthma is disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/535,208 filed Mar. 27,2000 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,581), which is a continuation of Ser. No.09/259,721 filed Mar. 1, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,307), which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 08/911,300 filed Aug. 14, 1997 (now U.S. Pat.No. 5,889,015), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/821,135 filedMar. 20, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,699) and Ser. No. 08/700,664filed Aug. 22, 1996 (now abandoned), said Ser. No. 08/700,664 being acontinuation of Ser. No. 08/444,582 filed May 19, 1995 (now abandoned)and said Ser. No. 08/821,135 being a continuation of Ser. No. 08/701,536filed Aug. 22, 1996 (now abandoned), each of said Ser. Nos. 08/444,582and 08/701,536 being a continuation of Ser. No. 08/376,506 filed Jan.23, 1995 (now abandoned), which itself is a continuation-in-part of Ser.No. 08/188,372 filed Jan. 27, 1994 (now abandoned).

This invention relates to the treating of corticosteroid-responsivediseases of the upper and lower airway passages and lungs, such asasthma, by orally or intranasally administering to said passages andlungs an amount of mometasone furoate effective for treating suchdiseases while minimizing systemic absorption and side effectsassociated with such systemic absorption.

Mometasone furoate is a corticosteroid approved for topical dermatologicuse to treat inflammatory and/or pruritic manifestations ofcorticosteroid-responsive dermatoses. The compound may be prepared inaccordance with the procedures disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,393,4,731,447, and 4,873,335, which U.S. patents are hereby incorporated byreference.

Certain corticosteroids, e.g., beclomethasone dipropionate arecommercially available for the treatment of diseases of airway passagesand lungs such as rhinitis and bronchial asthma. However, the artteaches that not every corticosteroid having topical anti-inflammatoryactivity is active in treating rhinitis and/or asthma. Furthermore, eventhough a topically active corticosteroid may exhibit activity intreating bronchial asthma, the long term use of such steroids has beenlimited by the occurrence of serious systemic side-effects, includinghypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression. The introductionof topically active steriods administered by metered-dose inhalation hasgreatly reduced but not eliminated the detrimental system side-effectsof steroid therapy in the treatment of asthma. Unfortunately, however, alarge portion of an inhaled corticosteriod dose is swallowed by thepatient. Since certain corticosteroids are readily bioavailable, theswallowed portion of the dose may reach the systemic circulation throughthe gastro-intestinal tract and may cause unwanted systemicside-effects. Some corticosteroids currently approved for treatingasthma have systemic bioavailability after oral ingestion of greaterthan 10% (budesonide) or even 20% (triamcinolone acetonide andflunisolide) of the inhalation dose. Thus, a topically active steroidwhich is not readily bioavailable would provide a therapeutic advantageover other topically active corticosteroids that are more systematicallybioavailable and it would also be superior to any corticosteroid orallyadministered by the oral swallowing of, for example, a solution, tabletor capsule.

Discovering an effective corticosteroid for treating diseases such asasthma with low systemic side-effects is unpredictable. For example, thecorticosteroid tipredane exhibited not only good initialanti-inflammatory activity against asthma but also low systemic sideeffects. However, development of tipredane for treating asthma has beendiscontinued because clinical trials have not demonstrated a level ofefficacy in treating asthma which would be considered therapeuticallyuseful. It has recently been disclosed that butixocort propionate,another potent topical anti-inflammatory corticosteroid havingreportedly low systemic side-effects is under development (Phase II) fortreating chronic bronchial asthma. While the clinical results currentlyavailable from the Phase II studies show butixocort propionate has someefficacy, it remains to be seen if the efficacy in treating asthma willbe sufficient to justify continuing the clinical development.

Thus, it would be desirable to find a corticosteroid which istherapeutically effective in treating disease of the airway passages andlungs such as asthma and which also exhibits low bioavailability and lowsystemic side-effects when it is administered intra-nasally or by oralinhalation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method of treating acorticosteroid-responsive disease of the upper or lower airway passagesand/or of the lungs in patients afflicted with said disease, whichcomprises administering once-a-day to said passages or lungs of saidpatients a substantially non-systematically bio-available amount ofaerosolized particles of mometasone furoate effective for treating saiddisease.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of treating allergic or non-allergic rhinitis in patientsafflicted with said rhinitis which comprises administering once-a-day tothe surfaces of the upper airway passages of said patients an amount ofaerosolized particles of mometasone furoate effective to maximizetreating said rhinitis in the upper airway passages while simultaneouslysubstantially minimizing systemic absorption thereof.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of treating allergic and/or inflammatory diseases of the lowerairway passages and/or lungs in patients afflicted with at least one ofsaid diseases which comprises administering once-a-day via oralinhalation to the surfaces of the upper and lower airway passages ofsaid patients an amount of aerosolized particles of mometasone furoateeffective to maximize topically treating said allergic and/orinflammatory disease in the lower airway passage and/or lungs whilesimultaneously substantially minimizing the systemic absorption thereof.

The present invention also provides a method of producing a rapid onsetof action in treating asthma in a patient afflicted with asthma whichcomprises administering via oral inhalation to the surfaces of the lowerairway passages and lungs of the patient an amount of aerosolizedparticles of mometasone furoate effective to produce a rapid onset ofaction in treating asthma while simultaneously substantially minimizingsystemic absorption thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 graphically illustrates the variation with time (measured inhours) of the plasma concentrations of total radioactivity (measured inng-eq/mL) following administration of tritium-labelled mometasonefuroate by various formulations and routes of administration to malevolunteers. The curve plotted with the darkened circles () representsthe variations of plasma concentrations with time after administrationof radio-labelled drug by oral suspension; the curve plotted with opencircles (∘) represents the variation of plasma concentrations with timeafter administration of drug by nasal spray; the curve plotted with thedarkened squares (▪) represents the variation of plasma concentrationswith time after administration by a metered dose inhaler; the curveplotted with the open squares (□) represent the variation of plasmaconcentrations with time after administration of drug by Gentlehaler;the curve plotted with the darkened triangles (▴) represents thevariation of plasma concentrations with time after administration ofdrug by the intravenous route and the curve plotted with the opentriangles (Δ) represent the variations of plasma concentration with timeafter administration of the radio-labelled drug via oral solution. SeeTables in Results section hereinafter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although corticosteroids have been effective in treating airway passagediseases such as asthma, such treating with corticosteroids may oftencause systemic side-effects such as suppression ofhypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (“HPA”) axis function by reducingcorticotrophin (ACTH) production, which in turn leads to a reducedcortisol secretion by the adrenal gland.

We have surprisingly discovered that mometasone furoate exhibitssuperior anti-inflammatory effects in treating airway passage diseasessuch as asthma and allergic rhinitis by acting on surfaces of the upperand lower airways passages and lungs while having a substantiallyminimum systemic effect. The substantial minimization of the systemiceffect of mometasone furoate administered intranasally or by oralinhalation has been measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) metabolite profiling of plasma radioactivity of mometasonefuroate, its substantially complete (>98%) first-pass metabolism in theliver and by a minimal reduction in cortisol secretion levels.

When mometasone furoate is administered orally (i.e., swallowed as anoral suspension) or by oral or nasal inhalation, there is a substantialabsence of absorption systemically into the bloodstream of mometasonefuroate i.e., there is essentially no parent drug (substantially lessthan 1% of mometasone furoate) which reaches the bloodstream from thegastro-intestinal tract. Any mometasone furoate found in the bloodstreamafter it has been administered by oral or nasal inhalation has alreadypassed through the lungs and/or airway passage tissue. Therefore, thereis no “wasted” drug (i.e., drug that reaches the relevant tissue in thelungs and/or airways only via the bloodstream). Thus, mometasone furoateis an ideal drug for treating diseases of the airway passages and lungssuch as asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Administering mometasone furoate to the surfaces of the airways ofasthmatic patients will maximize the therapeutic index. The term“therapeutic index”, as used herein, means the ratio of local efficacyto systemic safety. The local efficacy in asthma of corticosteroids suchas mometasone furoate is assessed by measurement of lung function andreduction in frequency and severity of symptoms. Systemic safety of suchcortisteroids is usually measured by HPA-axis function; other measuresof systemic effect include, for example, growth suppression, bonedensity, and skin thickness measurements.

In addition to the superb safety profile exhibited by mometasone furoateadministered to patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis in accordancewith the present invention, mometasone furoate also exhibits anunexpected higher level of efficacy in treating asthma and allergicrhinitis than the superb safety profile would suggest.

The term “rapid onset of action in treating asthma in patients afflictedwith asthma” as used herein means that there is a significant clinicallymeaningful improvement in the pulmonary function of asthma patientswithin 7, 3 and even 1 day(s) of the initial administration ofmometasone furoate in accordance with the present invention. Theseunexpected results were obtained in a placebo-controlled, parallel groupPhase I study of safety and pilot efficacy wherein mometasone furoatewas administered by a metered dose inhaler twice daily to forty-eightpatients with mild asthma (12 patients in each treatment group). Thethree groups of patients treated with mometasone furoate exhibitedclinically meaningful increases in pulmonary function as measured byimprovements in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁).

These increases in FEV₁ are unexpectedly superior even though mometasonefuroate exhibits a superb safety profile. Furthermore, one would notpredict the increases based on the known clinical data for othercorticosteroids available for treating asthma.

The term “corticosteroid-responsive disease of the airway passage waysand lungs” as used herein means those allergic, non-allergic and/orinflammatory diseases of the upper or lower airway passages or of thelungs which are treatable by administering corticosteroids such asmometasone furoate. Typical corticosteroid-responsive diseases includeasthma, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis as well as non-malignantproliferative and inflammatory diseases of the airways passages andlungs.

The term “asthma” as used herein includes any asthmatic condition markedby recurrent attacks of paroxysmal dyspnea (i.e., “reversibleobstructive airway passage disease”) with wheezing due to spasmodiccontraction of the bronchi (so called “bronchospasm”). Asthmaticconditions which may be treated or even prevented in accordance withthis invention include allergic asthma and bronchial allergycharacterized by manifestations in sensitized persons provoked by avariety of factors including exercise, especially vigorous exercise(“exercise-induced bronchospasm”), irritant particles (pollen, dust,cotton, cat dander) as well as mild to moderate asthma, chronic asthma,severe chronic asthma, severe and unstable asthma, nocturnal asthma, andpsychologic stresses. The methods of this invention are particularlyuseful in preventing the onset of asthma in mammals e.g., humansafflicted with reversible obstructive disease of the lower airwaypassages and lungs as well as exercise-induced bronchospasm.

The methods of this invention are also useful in treating allergic andnon-allergic rhinitis as well as non-malignant proliferative and/orinflammatory disease of the airway passages and lungs.

The term “allergic rhinitis” as used herein means any allergic reactionof the nasal mucosa and includes hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis)and perennial rhinitis (non-seasonal allergic rhinitis) which arecharacterized by seasonal or perennial sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasalcongestion, pruritis and eye itching, redness and tearing.

The term “non-allergic rhinitis” as used herein means eosinophilicnonallergic rhinitis which is found in patients with negative skin testsand those who have numerous eosinophils in their nasal secretions.

The term “non-malignant prolifertive and/or inflammatory disease” asused herein in reference to the pulmonary system means one or more of(1) alveolitis, such as extrinsic allergic alveolitis, and drug toxicitysuch as caused by, e.g. cytotoxic and/or alkylating agents; (2)vasculitis such as Wegener's granulomatosis, allergic granulomatosis,pulmonary hemangiomatosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, chroniceosinophilic pneumonia, eosinophilic granuloma and sarcoidoses.

The mometasone furoate administered, for example, by oral inhalation orintranasally to treat disease of the lower and/or upper airway passagesand/or lungs may be used as monotherapy or as adjuvant therapy with forexample cromolyn sodium or nedocromil sodium (available from Fisons);immunosuppressive agents such as methotrexate sodium (available fromAstra Pharmaceutical Products, Inc.), oral gold, or cyclosporine A(available from Sandoz under the SANDIMMUNE® tradename); bronchodilatorssuch as albuterol (available from Schering Corporation under thePROVENTIL® tradename) or theophylline (available from KeyPharmaceuticals of Schering Corporation under the Theo-Dur® tradename).

The devices found useful for providing measured substantiallynon-systematically bioavailable amounts of aerosolized mometasonefuroate or aerosolized pharmaceutical compositions thereof for deliveryto the oral airway passages and lungs by oral inhalation or intranasallyby inhalation include pressurized metered-dose inhalers (“MDI”) whichdeliver aerosolized particles suspended in chlorofluorocarbonpropellants such as CFC-11, CFC-12, or the non-chlorofluorocarbons oralternate propellants such as the fluorocarbons, HFC-134A or HFC-227with or without surfactants and suitable bridging agents; dry-powderinhalers either breath activated or delivered by air or gas pressuresuch as the dry-powder inhaler disclosed in the Schering CorporationInternational Patent Application No. PCT/US92/05225, published Jan. 7,1993 as well as the TURBUHALER™ (available from Astra PharmaceuticalProducts, Inc.) or the ROTAHALER™ (available from Allen & Hanburys)which may be used to deliver the aerosolized mometasone furoate as afinely milled powder in large aggregates either alone or in combinationwith some pharmaceutically acceptable carrier e.g. lactose; andnebulizers. The inhalation of aerosolized drugs by use of nebulizers andmetered-dose inhalers such as used to deliver VANCENASE® (brand ofbeclomethasone dipropionate) inhalation aerosol (available from ScheringCorporation, Kenilworth, N.J.) is disclosed in Remington'sPharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co. Easton Pa., 15th Ed.Chapter 99, pages 1910-1912.

Mometasone furoate may be also administered in specific, measuredamounts in the form of an aqueous suspension by use of a pump spraybottle such as the bottles used to deliver VANCENASE AQ® Nasal Spray aswell as the spray bottle disclosed in the Schering CorporationIndustrial Design Deposit DM/026304, registered by the Hague Union onJun. 1, 1993 (each are available from Schering Corporation). The aqueoussuspension compositions of the present invention may be prepared byadmixing mometasone furoate or mometasone furoate monohydrate(preferably mometasone furoate monohydrate) with water and otherpharmaceutically acceptable excipients. See International ApplicationNo. PCT/US91/06249 especially Examples 1-5 for preparation of mometasonefuroate monohydrate and aqueous suspensions containing same. The aqueoussuspensions of the invention may contain from about 0.01 to 10.0 mg,preferably 0.1 to 10.0 mg of mometasone furoate monohydrate per gram ofsuspension. The aqueous suspension compositions according to the presentinvention may contain, inter alia, water, auxiliaries and/or one or moreof the excipients, such as: suspending agents, e.g., microcrystallinecellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxpropyl-methyl cellulose;humectants, e.g. glycerin and propylene glycol; acids, bases or buffersubstances for adjusting the pH, e.g., citric acid, sodium citrate,phosphoric acid, sodium phospate as well as mixtures of citrate andphosphate buffers; surfactants, e.g. Polysorbate 80; and antimicrobialpreservatives, e.g., benzalkonium chloride, phenylethyl alcohol andpotassium sorbate.

Based on the judgment of the attending clinician, the amount ofmometasone furoate administered and the treatment regimen used will, ofcourse, be dependent on the age, sex and medical history of the patientbeing treated, the severity of the specific asthmatic or non-malignantpulmonary disease condition and the tolerance of patient to thetreatment regimen as evidenced by local toxicity (e.g., nasal irritationand/or bleeding) and by systemic side-effects (e.g. cortisol level).Cortisol (also referred to as hydrocortisone) is the major naturalglucocorticosteroid elaborated by the adrenal cortex.

For the treatment of allergic, non-allergic rhinitis and/or inflammatorydiseases of the upper or lower airway passages to treat for exampleasthma or allergic or non-allergic rhinitis, the substantiallynon-systematically bioavailable amount of mometasone furoate which maybe administered as an aqueous suspension or dry powder is in the rangeof about 10 to 5000 micrograms (“mcg”)/day, 10 to 4000 mcg/day, 10 to2000 mcg/day, 25-1000 mcg/day, 25 to 400 mcg/day, 25-200 mcg/day, 25-100mcg/day or 25-50 mcg/day in single or divided doses.

In treating allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, the aqueous suspensionof mometasone furoate may be administered intranasally by inserting anappropriate device (such as the pump spray bottle used to deliverVancenase AQ® Nasal Spray as well as the spray bottle disclosed in theSchering Corporation Industrial Design Deposit DM/026304 registered Jun.1, 1993) into each nostril. Active drug is then expelled (nasal spraydevice) or could be nasally inhaled (sniffed) as a powder. Efficacy isgenerally assessed in a double blind fashion by a reduction in nasalsymptoms (e.g., sneezing, itching, congestion, and discharge). Otherobjective measurements (e.g., nasal peak flow and resistance) can beused as supportive indices of efficacy.

For treatment of allergic and/or inflammatory diseases of the lowerairways and lung parenchyma especially diseases such as asthma, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”), granulomatus diseases of thelungs and lower airway passage, non-malignant proliferative disease ofthe lungs e.g., idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivitypneumonitis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia the following dosage rangesof mometasone furoate may be used: (1) for metered dose inhalers withstandard CFC or alternate propellant about 10 to 5000 mcg/day or 10 to4000 mcg/day or 10 to 2000 mcg/day, or 50 to 1000 mcg/day or 25 to 100mcg/day, or 25 to 400 mcg/day, or 25 to 200 mcg/day, or 25-50 mcg/day;the preferred dosage range is 50 to 1000 micrograms a day and thepreferred dosages are 25, 100, 200 and 250 mcg, administered in one tofour puffs; preferably one to three puffs, once-a-day; (2) for the drypowder inhaler—about 10 to 5000 mcg/day or 10-4000 mcg/day or 10-2000mcg/day or 25-1000 mcg/day or 25-400 mcg/day or 25-200 mcg/day or 50-200mcg/day or 25-50 mcg/day of anhydrous mometasone furoate; the preferreddosage range of anhydrous mometasone furoate in the dry powder inhaleris 50 to 600 micrograms a day more preferably 100 to 600 mcg a day andthe preferred dosages are 50, 100, 200 and 250 mcg, administered in oneto three puffs, once-a-day; typically the metered dose inhaler unit willcontain 120 doses; (3) for aqueous suspension for inhalation, thepreferral dosage ranged from 25 to 800 mcg/100 μL and the dosages are25, 50, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 300, 400, 500 and 800 mcg/100μL of mometasone furoate in single or divided doses. The aqueoussuspension of mometasone furoate has been found to be safe and effectivein treating allergic rhinitis e.g. seasonal allergic rhinitis from 25micrograms up to 1600 micrograms administered once-a-day; the preferreddosage range is 25-800 micrograms a day, although no improvement intreatment is typically found above 400 micrograms a day. The mostpreferred dosages are 25, 50 and 100 micrograms administered twice toeach nostril, once-a-day for a total once-a-day dose of 100, 200 and 400mcg. Typically 2-4 mL of the aqueous suspension of mometasone furoatemonohydrate may be placed in a plastic nebulizer container and thepatient would inhale for 2-10 minutes. The total dosage placed in such acontainer would be in the range of 300-3000 mcg.

In a preferred aspect of this invention, the anhydrous mometasonefuroate may be admixed with a dry excipient, for example dry lactose foruse in the dry powder inhaler. The mometasone furoate: dry lactose ratiovaries broadly from 1:19 to 1:0, and preferably it is 1:19 to 1:4.Typically, the suitable anhydrous mometasone furoate dosage range is 25to 600 micrograms administered once-a-day. The preferred mometasonefuroate dosages for admixture with dry lactose are 25, 100, 200 and 250micrograms which are administered in one to three puffs a day. Thepreferred combined mometasone furoate: lactose dose is 500 microgramsfor each dose. For example, for the preferred 1:19 ratio, 25 microgramsof anhydrous mometasone furoate are admixed with 475 micrograms ofanhydrous lactose and for the preferred 1:4 ratio, 100 micrograms ofanhydrous mometasone furoate are admixed with 400 micrograms ofanhydrous lactose, to produce the 500 microgram dose of the mometasonefuroate: lactose admixture.

The dosing regimen for lower airway diseases such as asthma will varyfrom four times a day to twice a day to once-a-day. Once-a-day (such asat 8 a.m.) maintenance therapy should be adequate, once control ofasthma is achieved. It is anticipated, however, that the superiortherapeutic index of mometasone furoate will result in effectivetreatment of patients by once-a-day dosing even at the initiation of themethods of this invention.

For other diseases of the lower airway passages and/or lungs, dosing islikely to be two to four times daily, preferably two to three times andmost preferably once daily, when adequate control of the disease isachieved.

For any route of administration, divided or single doses may be used.For example, when a metered dose inhaler is used to deliver, forexample, 500 mcg of aerosolized mometasone furoate, once-a-day, twopuffs of 250 mcg would normally be used to deliver the aerosolized drug.When a plastic nebulizer container is used to deliver for example 200micrograms a day of an aqueous suspension of mometasone furoate, twosqueezes of 50 micrograms into each nostril would normally be used todeliver the drug. When the metered dose inhaler is used to deliver forexample 200 mcg of anhydrous mometasone furoate, two puffs of 500micrograms of an admixture of 100 mcg of mometasone furoate and 400 mcgof lactose once-a-day would normally be used to deliver the aerosolizeddrug.

The effectiveness of the methods of this invention can also be shownclinically in mammals, e.g. humans being afflicted with or susceptibleto a non-malignant proliferative and/or inflammatory disease such asidophathic pulmonary fibrosis or using patients with inter alia thefollowing entry criteria: 1. an improved Karnofsky performance status;(2) adequate pulmonary function for undergoing the required inhalationtreatment satisfactorily as evidenced by (a) an improved forcedexpiratory volume (FEV) and (b) an improved forced vital capacity (FVC)and (3) no serious systemic infections and/or fever.

Similar results to those achieved in treating asthma are expected.

Results

The following is a summary of the clinical results obtained in treatingasthma and asthmatic conditions.

Prior to enrollment, all patients are thoroughly evaluated via a medicalhistory, physical examination, chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram andhematologic and blood chemistry measurements. Pulmonary functionincluding peak expiatory flow rate (PEF), forced expiatory volume in onesecond (FEV₁), and forced vial capacity (FVC) and cortisol levels may bealso measured. Subjective and objective symptoms including the numberand severity of coughing bouts, shortness of breath, chest tightness andwheezing are normally assessed.

Several Phase I studies were conducted using mometasone furoateformulated for delivery as a suspension in a pressurized metered doseinhaler (MDI). In a randomized, third-party blinded, placebo-controlledrising single-dose safety and tolerance study, aerosolized mometasonefuroate was administered by a metered dose inhaler to eight healthy malevolunteers. Doses were administered at 11 p.m. and plasma cortisolconcentrations were measured during the following 24-hour period.Compared to placebo, mometasone furoate doses of 1000 mcg, 2000 mcg and4000 mcg reduced the 24-hour area under the curve plasma cortisolprofile (AUC 0-24) by 13%, 23% and 36%, respectively. Equivalent dosesof beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) reduced the AUC 0-24 by 30%, 38%and 65%, respectively.

In a subsequent placebo-controlled, parallel group Phase I study ofsafety and pilot efficacy, mometasone furoate was given by MDI at doseof 500 mcg twice daily (“BID”), 1 mg BID, and 2 mg BID for 28 days to 48patients with mild asthma (12 patients per treatment group) or placeboalso given BID by MDI. Therapy with mometasone furoate was welltolerated, and all patients completed the therapy. Patients treated with1000 mcg of mometasone furoate daily had values for 8 a.m. plasmacortisol that were similar to those of patients treated with 2000 mcg ofmometasone furoate daily at all time points; there were small decreasesfrom Baseline on Days 15 and 21 which were statistically significantcompared to placebo. Patients treated with 4000 mcg of mometasonefuroate daily had greater decreases in plasma cortisol, which werestatistically different from placebo from Day 3 through Day 28. The meanvalues of urinary cortisol tended to decrease during the course of thestudy for the 2000 mcg and 4000 mcg groups; the mean values of urinarycortisol for the 1000 mcg group were not different from placebo. Withrespect to the responses to ACTH infusions at post-treatment (Day 30),all of the treatment groups demonstrated significant increases fromBaseline in plasma cortisol both immediately after the 8 hour infusionand 24 hours after the beginning of the infusion (i.e., a normalresponse). The asthma patients treated with mometasone furoate in thisplacebo-controlled Phase I study exhibited unexpected, clinicallymeaningful increases in FEV₁ values that were ≧15% from Baseline at amajority of time points. The mean increases in FEV₁ values for the 1mg/day, 2 mg/day and 4 mg/day treatment groups were statisticallysignificantly greater than for the placebo group at every time pointfrom day 3 to day 28. The 1 mg/day treatment group showed astatistically significant, clinically meaningful improvement in the FEV₁value even on day 1 compared to the FEV₁ value for the placebo group.

In a recently completed, randomized, double-blinded multicenter, PhaseII study, 395 patients with asthma requiring treatment with inhaledcorticosteroids were randomized to one of the five treatment groups:mometasone furoate (MDI 112 mcg/day, 400 mcg/day or 1000 mcg/day,beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) 336 mcg/day, or placebo. All treatmentregimens consisted of BID dosing for 4 weeks. PROVENTIL inhalationaerosol (albuterol, USP) was supplied as rescue medication.

Evaluation of Efficacy

Efficacy was evaluated by spirometry and by physician and patientevaluation of asthma signs and symptoms. The forced expiratory volume inone second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratoryflow between 25% to 75% (FEF_(25%-75%)) were measured at each visit bythe investigator. The peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was measuredtwice daily (AM and PM) by the patient. FEV₁ at endpoint of treatment(last evaluable visit) was the primary measure of efficacy. Theinvestigator (at all visits) and the patient (twice daily) ratedwheezing, tightness in chest, shortness of breath, and cough on a scalefrom 0 (None) to 6 (Incapacitating). In addition, the investigator ratedthe overall condition of asthma on the same scale at each visit, and thepatient kept a diary of the total number of asthma attacks each day, thenumber of night awakenings due to asthma, and the total number of puffsof Proventil (protocol-permitted rescue medication) used. The actualvalue and changes from Baseline were analyzed for each visit.

All treatments were well tolerated; most frequently reported adverseevents were dysphonia, pharyngitis, cough and headache, which weregenerally mild to moderate in severity. All 4 active treatments werestatistically superior to placebo at all visits with respect toimprovement in FEV₁ (p<0.01) compared with the placebo treatment groupwhich experienced a mean decrease in this variable. The two higher dosesof mometasone furoate were superior to beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP)at Days 14, 21 and 28. At Day 21 and Day 28, the two higher doses ofmometasone furoate were significantly superior to the low mometasonefuroate dose. Diary a.m. and p.m. PEFR data were similar to FEV₁. Duringthe final week of treatment, all mometasone furoate doses weresignificantly better than 336 mg dose of BDP in improving a.m. PEFR.Total asthma scores, assessment of overall condition, and therapeuticresponse to treatment confirmed superiority of all mometasone furoatedoses relative to placebo, as well as relationships among the activetreatment groups.

Mometasone furoate (intranasally in the form of an aqueous suspension ofmometasone furoate monohydrate) has been used for treating patients withseasonal allergic rhinitis. The term “seasonal allergic rhinitis” asused herein means a hypersensitivity response to seasonal pollenscharacterized by inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes, nasaldischarge, sneezing and congestion.

Several Phase I studies have been completed using the aqueous nasalspray suspension formulation of mometasone furoate monohydrate. In arandomized, third party-blinded, placebo-controlled rising single-dosesafety and tolerance study, the aqueous nasal spray suspensionformulation was administered to eight healthy male volunteers. Doseswere administered at 11 pm, and plasma cortisol concentrations weremeasured during the following 24-hour period. Compared to placebo,mometasone furoate at doses of 1000 mcg, 2000 mcg, and 4000 mcg did notsignificantly affect the 24-hour area under the curve plasma cortisolprofile (AUC 0-24).

In a follow-up multiple dose study, 48 normal male volunteers wereempaneled in a randomized, third party-blinded, placebo andactive-controlled parallel group study. Twelve volunteers in each offour groups received one of the following treatments for 28 days: A)Intranasal aqueous nasal spray suspension formulation of mometasonefuroate monohydrate, 400 mcg/day; B) Intranasal aqueous nasal spraysuspension formulation of mometasone furoate monohydrate, 1600 mcg/day;C) Intranasal placebo; D) Oral prednisone, 10 mg/day. All treatmentswere administered as once daily dosing in the morning. The mometasonefuroate aqueous nasal spray formulation was well tolerated, and allpatients completed the study. Neither of the 2 doses of the mometasonefuroate aqueous nasal spray formulation were associated with any changesin cortisol secretion compared to placebo.

In addition, a single-dose absorption, excretion and metabolism studyusing 200 mcg of ³H-mometasone furoate as the nasal spray formulationwas conducted in 6 normal male volunteers. When systemic absorption(based on urinary excretion) was compared to an intravenouslyadministered dose of ³H-mometasone furoate, it was 8%. The plasmaconcentrations of parent drug could not be determined by metaboliteprofiling because the levels of plasma radioactivity were below thelimit of quantification. These data are consistent with substantiallyless than 1% of bioavailability of mometasone furoate. See Tables 1 to 2herein below.

In a dose ranging safety and efficacy study, the mometasone furoateaqueous nasal spray formulation at doses of 50 mcg/day, 100 mcg/day, 200mcg/day, 800 mcg/day or placebo was administered to 480 patients withseasonal allergic rhinitis for 4 weeks. All treatments were welltolerated; results of statistical analysis indicated that all doses ofmometasone furoate were effective relative to placebo. These resultsshowed that administration of an aqueous suspension of mometasonefuroate as a nasal spray to patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis waseffacious, well tolerated with little potential for systemic sideeffects and are consistent with the low oral bioavailability ofmometasone furoate.

The term “rapid onset of action in treating allergic or seasonalallergic rhinitis” as used herein means that there is a clinically andstatistically significant reduction in the total nasal symptom scorefrom baseline for seasonal allergic rhinitis patients treated withmometasone furoate nasal spray with medium onset to moderate or completerelief at 3 days (35.9 hours) compared to 72 hours for the patientstreated with a placebo nasal spray. These results were obtained in arandomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled, parallelgroup study to characterize the period between initiation of dosing withmometasone furoate nasal spray and onset of clinical efficacy asmeasured by the total nasal symptom score in symptomatic patients withseasonal allergic rhinitis. The study lasted 14 days in length. Datafrom 201 patients were used for analysis.

A. Clinical Evaluations

1. Seasonal Allergy Rhinitis

a. Signs and symptoms were individually scored by the patient on thediary card, and by the investigator or designee at Screening andBaseline (Day 1), Day 4, Day 8, and Day 15 after treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Rhinitis Nasal Non-Nasal Nasalstuffiness/congestion Itching/burning eyes Rhinorrhea (nasal discharge/Tearing/watering eyes runny nose) Redness of eyes Nasal itching, Itchingof ears or palate Sneezing

All symptoms (nasal and non-nasal) were rated by the investigator ordesignee according to the following scale:

0=None: No signs/symptoms are evident

1=Mild: Signs/symptoms are clearly present but minimal awareness; easilytolerated

2=Moderate: Definite awareness of signs/symptoms which are bothersomebut tolerable

3=Severe: Signs/symptoms are hard to tolerate; may cause interferencewith activities of daily living and/or sleeping

2. Overall Condition of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

The overall condition of rhinitis was evaluated by the investigator ordesignee and patient at the same time as symptoms, and scored accordingto the following criteria:

0=None: No signs/symptoms are evident

1=Mild: Signs/symptoms are clearly present but minimal awareness; easilytolerated

2=Moderate: Definite awareness of signs/symptoms which are bothersomebut tolerable

3=Severe: Signs/symptoms are hard to tolerate; may cause interferencewith activities of daily living and/or sleeping.

In order to qualify for randomization, a patient must have had:

1. Nasal congestion≧2 (moderate) at both Screening and Basline.

2. Total score of the four nasal symptoms≧7 at both Screening andBaseline.

3. Overall condition≧2 (moderate) at both Screening and Basline.

At visits after Basline, evaluations included the entire time periodsince the last visit, up to and including the time of the currentobservations.

3. Drug

Each patient was given a metered nasal pump spray bottle containingeither an aqueous suspension of mometasone furoate or placebo. Dosinginstructions on the bottle informed patient to deliver 2 sprays of drug(mometasone furoate 50 mcg/spray) or placebo into each nostrilonce-a-day, each morning.

4. Clinical Efficacy

1. Parameters

After the Baseline visit, each patient was instructed to enter intohis/her diary the information about the time of onset of nasal reliefand level of nasal symptom relief as no relief, slight, moderate,marked, or complete.

At Baseline and each follow-up visit, the physician evaluated thefollowing signs and symptoms of allergic rhinitis, scored as 0=none,1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe.

a. NASAL SYMPTOMS

nasal discharge

congestion/stuffiness

sneezing

itching

b. TOTAL NASAL SCORE:

sum of the 4 individual nasal scores

c. COMPOSITE TOTAL SCORE:

sum of the 8 nasal and non-nasal scores

The overall condition of rhinitis was also evaluated by both thephysician and patient using the same scoring system.

At each follow-up visit post Baseline, the physician and patientevaluated the therapeutic response as 5=no relief, 4=slight relief,3=moderate relief, 2=marked relief, 1=complete relief.

After the Basline visit, each morning and evening the patient completeda diary to assess the 8 signs and symptoms of allergic rhinitis asdescribed above.

Results

The primary efficacy results are based on a survival analysis of theonset times of relief (defined as the first time patient experienced atleast moderate relief of nasal symptoms) for the mometasone furoatenasal spray and placebo groups. In this analysis, patients reportingslight or no relief for the first 3 days after treatment were censoredat Day 3. Also, results from the patient regular diary (by 15-dayaverage) data were evaluated.

Data from 201 patients were used in the survival analysis. There were101 patients in the mometasone furoate nasal spray group and 100patients in the placebo group. From the individual patient onset diarydata, it was found that there were a total of 24 patients who recordedslight or no relief (i.e. censored) at Day 3 in the mometasone furoatenasal spray group as compared to 50 patients in the placebo groupsimilarly recording slight or no relief (i.e. censored).

Survival analysis results suggest that mometasone furoate nasal spraygroup had a median onset time to relief of 35.9 hours as compared toplacebo group's 72 hours (due to more censored observations in thisgroup). From a plot of the survival distribution for the two groups, itwas seen that proportion reporting slight or no relief with increasingduration (in total hours) in the placebo group was higher compared tothe mometasone furoate nasal spray group. Using a log-rank data showed astatistically significant difference between the two treatment groups(p-value<0.001).

Analysis of morning & evening averaged diary data showed that (for the15-days average) reduction in the total nasal symptom score frombaseline for mometasone furoate nasal spray group was statisticallysignificantly higher than that for the placebo group.

In a first Phase I trial of the mometasone furoate dry powder inhaler(DPI), mometasone furoate-DPI was once-a-day given to eight normalvolunteers in single doses of 400, 800, 1600, 3200 mcg and placebo.Parallel groups of volunteers received either budesondie dry powder(400, 800, 1600, 3200 mcg and placebo) or prednisone (5 mg, 10 mg, 20mg, 40 mg, or placebo). All doses were administered at 11 p.m., andplasma cortisol levels over the next 24 hours were monitored.

Drug Metabolism/Clinical Pharmacology Study

A drug metabolism and clinical pharmacology study was conducted byadministering (by various routes) tritium-labeled mometasone furoate(“³H-MF”) to 6 groups of 6 normal male volunteers in each group. Bloodand urine samples were collected for measurement of total drug(including metabolites).

The objectives of these studies in male volunteers were to determine theabsorption, metabolism and excretion of ³H-labeled mometasone furoate(“³H-MF”) following administration by oral swallow as a solution and asan aqueous suspension of the monohydrate, by oral inhalation as asuspension from a standard metered dose inhaler (MDI) and from a metereddose inhaler containing a spacer device (Gentlehaler), by nasalinhalation as an aqueous suspension of the mometasone furoatemonohydrate from a nasal spray unit and by intravenous injection as asolution.

Population

Thirty-six (n=6 per treatment group) normal healthy male volunteersbetween the ages of 19 and 40 yr. (average 29 yr.) having weights inaccordance with current actuarial tables (+10%) were enrolled in thesesingle dose studies. All subjects were determined to be in good healthby their medical history, physical examinations, clinical and laboratorytests.

Study Design

Six volunteers in each of the six treatment groups received one of thefollowing ³H-MF dosage forms listed in Table 1:

TABLE 1 Dose* mg/ Dosage Form Subject μCi/Subject Mode of AdministrationOral Solution 1.03 209 33.3 ml (0.031 mg/ml) by oral swallow MDI(metered- 0.86 163 4 puffs from a MDI canister dose inhaler) (215μg/actuation) Nasal Spray 0.19 197 4 sprays from a nasal spray bottle(47 μg/spray) Gentlehaler 0.40 79 4 bursts from a MDI canistercontaining a spacer (referred to as Gentlehaler) (101 μg/burst)Intravenous 1.03 204 1.03 mg/ml administered at Solution a rate of 1ml/min. Oral Suspension 0.99 195 1.6 ml (0.62 mg/ml by oral (hydrated)swallow *Doses based on analysis of dosage forms prior to start of study

Plasma, urine, expired air filters, Respirgard and fecal samples werecollected and assayed for radioactivity content. The limit ofquantitation (LOQ) for plasma radioactivity ranged from 0.103 to 0.138ng eq/ml., except for the nasal spray treatment where the LOQ was 0.025ng eq/ml. Selected plasma, urine and fecal samples were analyzed formetabolite profiles.

Results

Clinical Summary

Mometasone furoate was found to be safe and well tolerated by allvolunteers after administration of all dosage forms.

Pharmacokinetics

The mean (n=6) plasma concentrations of total radioactivity areillustrated in Summary FIG. 1 and the mean (n=6) pharmacokineticparameters derived from total plasma radioactivity are presented inTable 2.

Comparison of plasma radioactivity illustrated in FIG. 1 and/or urinaryexcretion data and presented in Table 2 after the various formulationswith those after intravenous treatment demonstrated that drug-derivedradioactivity was completely absorbed when ³H-MF was administered orallyas a solution. In contrast, systemic absorption of drug-derivedradioactivity following administration of ³H-MF as an oral suspension oras a nasal spray suspension was approximately 8% of the dose. Systemicabsorption of drug-derived radioactivity following administration of³H-MF via the MDI (30%) and Gentlehaler™ (67%) was higher than thatfollowing nasal spray or oral suspension. Although the peak plasmaconcentration of radioactivity was less than 1 ng eq/ml for both MDI andGentlehaler, comparative dose normalized AUC radioactivity data andurinary excretion data suggested that absorption of drug-derivedradioactivity from the MDI and Gentlehaler was approximately 23-30% and67-69%, respectively. The drug derived radioactivity data suggested thatsystemic bioavailability was greater following administration with theGentlehaler™ compared to MDI administration. This may have been theresult of enhanced lung deposition of drug due to the use of a spacerdevice in the Gentlehaler™. The Gentlehaler™ device is a MDI actuatordescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,830.

Radioactivity was predominantly excreted in the feces regardless ofdosage form and route of administration. Excretion of radioactivity inthe urine was approximately 25% for the intravenous and oral solutionformulations, 7% for the MDI and 16% for the Gentlehaler and 2% or lessfor both the nasal spray and oral suspension formulations, respectively.These data thus demonstrate that the drug was well absorbed when orallyadministered as a solution formulation but poorly absorbed followingoral or intranasal administration as a suspension formulation.

TABLE 2 PHARMACOKINETIC PARAMETERS OF TOTAL RADIOACTIVITY FOLLOWINGADMINISTRATION OF ³H-MF IN MALE VOLUNTEERS Dosage Form Oral Nasal OralParameter Intravenous Solution MDI Gentlehaler Spray Suspension Cmax23.7 4.8    0.80 0.69 (1.71*)  BQL** BQL    (0.93*) AUC(1) 401 488 81(94*) 110 (275*) BQL BQL Urine 24 25  7 16 2 2 (% dose) Feces 54 62 8689 78 73 (% dose) U + F 78 87 94 105  80 75 (% dose) % Absorbed AUC —122  23*  69* — — Urine — 104 30 67 8 8 *Based on dose normalized data**BQL = Below Quantifiable Limit Parameter Units Definition Cmax ngeq/ml Maximum plasma concentration, except for the intravenoustreatment, which is C_(5min). AUC(1) ng eq hr/ml Area under the plasmaconcentration-time curve to infinity. Urine % Percent of administeredradioactivity excreted in the urine through 168 hr. (% dose) Feces %Percent of administered radioactivity excreted in feces through 168 hr.(% dose) U + F % Total percent dose recovered in the urine and fecesthrough 168 hr. (% dose) % Absorbed Percent of administeredradioactivity absorbed based on dose normalized (AUC) % versusintravenous data. treatment data % Absorbed Percent of administeredradioactivity absorbed (based on urinary excretion (Urine) % compared tothe intravenous dose. data)

Selected plasma, urine and fecal extracts were analyzed by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with radio-flow monitoring todetermine metabolite profiles. The results of these analysesdemonstrated that, following administration of the oral solution, mostof the plasma radioactivity was associated with metabolites more polarthan the available standards. Approximately 1.5% of the 3 hr. plasmaradioactivity was associated with parent drug indicating extensive firstpast metabolism and rapid inactivation by the the liver. In contrast,following intravenous administration, approximately 39% of the 3 hr.plasma radioactivity was associated with parent drug. Approximately 12%and 33% of the 3 hr. plasma radioactivity was associated with parentdrug following administration of the MDI and Gentlehaler, respectively.In general, the plasma concentrations of radioactivity following thenasal and oral suspension routes of administration were too low formetabolite profiling.

HPLC/radio-flow analysis of both urinary and fecal extracts followingboth intravenous and oral solution administration demonstrated that allof the radioactivity was associated with metabolites more polar thanparent drug. Analysis of urine specimens obtained from subjects whoreceived ³H-MF by the Gentlehaler also demonstrated that all of theradioactivity was associated with metabolites more polar than parentdrug. However, analyses of fecal extracts following administration ofthe nasal spray, oral suspension and inhalation (MDI and Gentlehaler)formulations, demonstrated the presence primarily of mometasone furoate,presumably due to unabsorbed drug which was swallowed. Hydrolysis ofplasma and urine was performed with an enzyme preparation containingboth β-glucuronidase and aryl sulfatase. These experiments yieldedmodest changes in the HPLC metabolite profiles that were consistent withthe hydrolytic release of conjugated metabolites.

The percent of dose as tritiated water in the body was estimated fromurinary distillation experiments to be approximately 3.7% afterintravenous and 2.9% after oral solution dosing.

These findings suggested that less than 4% of the tritium label hadexchanged with body water following administration of ³H-MF to malevolunteers.

The results of these drug metabolism/clinical pharmacology studiesdemonstrate that:

1. Drug-derived radioactivity was completely absorbed when ³H-MF wasgiven orally as a solution to male volunteers. However, the absolutebioavailability of unchanged mometasone furoate was extremely low (lessthan approximately 1%) due to extensive first pass metabolism.

2. Drug-derived radioactivity was moderately absorbed following oralinhalation of ³H-MF by the metered dose inhaler (23-30%) andGentlehaler™ (67-69%).

3. The absorption of drug-derived radioactivity following administrationof ³H-MF nasal spray and oral suspension formulations was approximately8%.

4. The plasma concentrations of unchanged mometasone furoate could notbe determined after administration by oral inhalation as a suspensionfrom a MDI or a Gentlehaler, or by nasal inhalation of an aqueoussuspension of mometasone furoate monohydrate from a nasal spray unit orby oral swallow of an aqueous suspension of the monohydrate because theplasma concentrations of total radioactivity were too low for metaboliteprofiling.

5. Mometasone furoate was extensively metabolized following all routesof administration.

As shown in Table 2, ³H-MF-derived radioactivity suggests that systemicabsorption was greater from an orally swallowed solution (about 100%)than from an orally swallowed suspension or an intranasally inhaledsuspension (8%). Mometasone furoate was detectable in plasma bymetabolite profiling after administration of the drug by intravenousinjection or oral administration as solution dosage forms, but not afteradministration of the oral or nasal suspensions. Similarly, theexcretion of radioactivity in urine after dosing with the solutionformulation was greater (25%) than after dosing with the nasal spray ororal suspension (2%). The total recovery or radioactivity in urine andfeces was 87% and 75% respectively, with most of the radioactivity beingexcreted in the feces. After intravenous dosing, the total radioactivityexcreted was 78% with 24% being excreted in the urine and 54% beingexcreted in the feces.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of treating a corticosteroid-responsivedisease of the upper or lower airway passages or lungs, which comprisesadministering to the surfaces of said passages or lungs by inhalationfrom a dry powder inhaler of aerosolized particles of a medicamentcomprising daily doses about 25 to about 1000 μg of mometasone furoate.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medicament is administered bynasal inhalation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the medicament isadministered by oral inhalation.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein themedicament comprises particles of mometasone furoate and particles of anexcipient.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the medicament comprisesparticles of mometasone furoate and particles of lactose.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the disease is at least one member selected fromasthma, allergic rhinitis, non-allergic rhinitis and a non-malignantproliferative or inflammatory disease.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe disease is at least one member selected from asthma, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, granulomatous diseases, idiopathicpulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and bronchopulmonarydysplasia.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease comprisesrhinitis.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease comprisesasthma.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the disease comprises chronicobstructive pulmonary disease.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein themometasone furoate is administered together with a bronchodilator.
 12. Amethod of treating asthma, comprising administering to the surfaces ofairway passages or lungs of patients by inhalation from a dry powderinhaler of aerosolized particles of a medicament comprising daily dosesabout 25 to about 1000 μg of mometasone furoate, effective for treatingsaid asthma.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the mometasone furoateis administered together with a bronchodilator.
 14. A method of treatingchronic obstructive pulmonary disease, comprising administering to thesurfaces of airway passages or lungs of patients by inhalation from adry powder inhaler of aerosolized particles of a medicament comprisingdaily doses about 25 to about 1000 μg of mometasone furoate, effectivefor treating said disease.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein themometasone furoate is administered together with a bronchodilator.